Rates of teenage pregnancy are now the lowest they've been since 1969. But maybe the lack of rejoicing and high fives is because this story doesn't fit well with usual headlines that tell us we need to panic about soaring rates of teenage pregnancies and the epidemic of teenage girls getting pregnant and living off your taxes.

Maybe they are scared that people will start to find a new scapegoat for the recession. Maybe they are scared that we'll start to recognise that the decline in teenage pregnancies is actually part of an ongoing trend.

The new ONS statistics also revealed an increase in conceptions for women over 30, confirming the general social trend towards having children later. Even mums in their mid-twenties often now feel stigmatised for being too young. Many women I know in their thirties still haven't worked out how they will combine parenthood with working, or when they will feel ready to settle down with one person who they trust enough to raise a child with.

It’s difficult to know how much of the decline in conceptions among under-18s can be attributed to the tireless efforts of those working in young people's sexual health and Sex and Relationships Education, programmes which often struggle against budget cuts and decommissioning of services. Maybe it’s time to view the goals of these services as wider than just “preventing pregnancy”, and acknowledge that these programmes also put so much effort into supporting young people to have healthy relationships, helping them to understand their rights and encouraging young people to feel empowered.

These services do not increase teenage pregnancy rates. Mentioning the word sex in schools, or mentioning access to contraception for young people, does not lead to teenagers breeding like rabbits. Supporting young mothers does not cause huge increases in single teenage mums draining the welfare budget.

When we are able to look at facts rather than anecdotes, we can actually engage in a sensible debate about how to support all young people, and try to ensure that we don't lose vital services that are trying to do just that.